


i’ll be home for christmas

by writingfiction



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Christmas, Christmas Eve, F/M, Gen, Loneliness, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, New York
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-04
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2019-02-10 14:42:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12914061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingfiction/pseuds/writingfiction
Summary: Mandy counts the minutes, Lip tries to beat the seconds until he’s home on Christmas morning.





	i’ll be home for christmas

December 24th. Always a difficult time for Mandy. She had grown up never really celebrating holidays, except when her mother was alive. She remembered Christmas being a hopeful time; “Daddy won’t drink this Christmas,” “Daddy won’t hurt Mommy on Christmas,” “Daddy’s friends won’t come over on Christmas.”  
Each year these wishes turned to falsehoods as Terry would drink, become more abusive to his wife and children, and when Mandy’s mother wasn’t there, Terry’s friends would come over and rape her, as a young girl. Of course, these events weren’t unusual—they were just more common during the holidays, unfortunately.

Then, when her mother died, that only added insult to injury, as her passing fell on the 21st of December.

So Mandy never really cared for all that Christmas shit.

That was, until she started dating Lip. The two had met through Mickey, Mandy’s brother who had come out as gay to her two years prior, and revealed that he had been secretly dating Ian Gallagher. Mandy knew Ian from school, since they both went to NYU, but had never associated with him too much. She was shocked when Mickey introduced them, but pleasantly surprised. Now, after two years of bonding, Mandy and Ian were basically as close as friends who had known each other since birth.

Now, Lip was another story.

Ian had invited Mandy to a party for his brother Carl, who was returning from military school. Mickey was going, so Mandy decided there was no harm in going. So, she tagged along. She was a quieter girl so she didn’t try to be the center of attention, but Lip had flocked to her.  
He came over to introduce himself, and Mandy practically melted, the way he looked at her. They hit it off instantly.

Turns out, they had quite a bit to talk about, both being from Chicago and having a similar interest in music and, of course, the family aspect. By the time she left the Gallagher house that night, she knew she had feelings for him.

They began to text, back and forth, which was easiest for them to solidify a friendship, since Mandy was going to school in New York, while Lip was back in Chicago. She had never expected—but secretly wished for it—Lip to ask her if they could begin dating. This was about six months after the party, that he had asked her over FaceTime. They had been going strong ever since.

The long distance was hard though. With the young adults’ conflicting schedules—Lip constantly doing lab work, without his phone or any technological device for hours on end, and Mandy who was working six hour shifts at night while going to class in the mornings and afternoons. But somehow, they made it work.

Except for tonight, Christmas Eve. Mandy was sitting alone, in her dorm room, leaning out the window as smoke exhaled from her mouth into the frigid Manhattan air, as she watched the snowflakes float down to the cold cement. Smoking was one of her bad habits, she knew, but it was the least of her worries.

She knew Lip was busy tonight—staying late at the lab, he had told her. She just wished he was there. He brought so much more life into a room.

Her phone buzzed, as she sighed. Lifting the device, she checked it. The notification was a text from Ian, asking if she wanted to come to his and Mickey’s for a “small get-together” - Ian’s words, of course. It was funny to Mandy how much of a middle-aged mom her brother’s boyfriend paralleled. She simply replied with a “no thanks” before setting her phone down. Moments later, she got a text from Mickey.

Mickey: mandy wtf is up  
Mickey: ian wants u to come over  
Mickey: we know lip isnt there so dont wallow in your pain dumbass come hang w/us  
mandy: Jesus christ just let me be alone for gods sakes  
Mickey: bitch -_-

Mandy rolled her eyes at her brother’s immaturity before sighing loudly and walking over to the small kitchen, and pulled a beer bottle from the refrigerator. The nice thing about Christmas break would have to be that all of Mandy’s stuck-up roommates were gone for two and a half weeks while she stayed on campus.

So she could crack open a bottle any time without judgement.

She sauntered over to the makeshift living room of her crowded apartment, before plopping down on a loveseat, curling up with the beer and a wool blanket. Sighing, she let her mind wander.

She wished for Lip to be with her, or to be with him, because she was always much more positive and cheerful when he was around. She was a very guarded and serious girl, and Lip was the only one who had ever gotten through her thick wall.

But he always knew how to make her smile, comfort her, wipe her tears away, anything she needed he would do for her. Her heart hurt at the thought of him being hours away.

So, she drank in silence, thinking of happier times, reminiscing of her past Christmas celebrations with the Gallagher boy. She remembered one Christmas, he had woken her up with a kiss on her nose, a Santa hat on his head and mistletoe in hand. He held it over different spots, placing kisses to her soft, pale skin there after. He ended by kissing her mouth sweetly, and after she asked why he had done such an act, all he said was “You’re my present this year,” which, strangely enough, made Mandy love him more.

She checked her phone again, and sighed when there were no notifications. But, as if on cue, her phone began to ring and Mandy noticed she was receiving a FaceTime request from the boy in question. She answered immediately.

“Lip!” She smiled, as his face showed up on the screen, albeit blurry. “Hey, Mands. How are you?” The dirty-blond inquired.

“I’m fine. How are you?” Mandy asked, not wanting to be honest with him at the moment, just wanting to be happy.

“I’m tired,” he chuckled, honestly, before looking at his phone. “Mands, c’mon, be honest with me. Are you okay?”

She should have anticipated that question much better, knowing that he could read her like a book, inside and out.  
As Lip watched her sigh, his forehead wrinkles intensified.

“I’m just lonely. I miss you and I really wish you were here, ‘cause you just make everything better—especially now, because-“ “Because it’s Christmas Eve,” he finished, and she nodded glumly.

Lip frowned, knowing that her sadness was all his fault, and his absence due to work. “I’m sorry, baby. I hate seeing you sad,” he whispered, and Mandy shrugged. “I’m fine, Lip.”

“I miss you, too,” he said, after a premature silence, as she watched him rake his hands through his unruly curls. Oh, how she loved those curls. What she wouldn’t give to run her fingers through their tangles right then.

“I miss you, so much, baby. I wish you were here with me. I’d have us get all dressed up all warm, then take you out to dinner, somewhere fancy where I could show off my beautiful girl.”

Mandy blushed as his sentiment, before smiling slightly. “And then what?”

Lip’s mouth curled into the tightest of smirks, and he narrowed his eyes. “Oh, you know. We’d probably makeout in the taxi then fuck back at my place, because I know I’d want to. You’re so fuckin’ sexy,” he laughed, and Mandy smiled.

“God, I miss hearing your laugh,” she sighed, and he nodded in agreement. “Me too,” he mumbled, and Mandy fixed a few strands of stray hair. “I just wish you were here. Mickey and Ian want me to come over, I guess they’re feeling sorry for me.”

“Assholes,” Lip snorted, before looking at Mandy. “Baby, you should go over. I don’t want you lonely on Christmas Eve.”

“I don’t want you lonely, either!” she exclaimed, before pouting. “I want you here, with me.”

Lip just nodded, silently.

She coughed before taking a drink of her beer and he swore loudly. “Shit!”

“What?” Mandy asked, curious. “I-I gotta get back to the lab. I love you, Mandy. Go have fun, bye.” He spoke into his headphones before hanging up abruptly, and Mandy sighed, throwing her body back against the chair.

mandy: Still care if i come over?

It took a few minutes for Mickey to reply.

Mickey: yea sis no problem  
Mickey: bring booze

———

Ian and Mickey’s party was fun, to say the least. Mandy got drunk, and played Dance, Dance Revolution with a very drunk boy named Trevor, who was very short and very giggly.

As Mandy went to sit down, Ian came crashing into her. “Heyyyy, bestie, how are you enjoyin’ the party?” Ian giggled, and Mandy snorted. “It’s good.”

“Better then getting shitfaced at home?” Ian asked, as Mickey walked over, intervening. “Anything’s better then getting shitfaced at home,” he crowed, before taking a swig from an open vodka bottle, before pouring some into Ian’s mouth.

“Wanna light up?” Mickey asked his sister, who shook her head. She just wanted to get blackout drunk tonight.

“More for us, then,” Mickey snickered, before nuzzling into the crook of Ian’s neck, wrapping the tall boy up in a tight hug.

Mandy snagged the bottle from her brother, who was too busy making goo-goo eyes at his boyfriend to care. Drinking it straight, she walked throughout the ransacked apartment like she owned the place.

As she saw a couple doing body shots off each other, she felt a pang of jealousy. Yeah, not the most romantic thing but it was still something she and Lip would have done, without any doubts.

She whipped out her phone and stared long and hard, to try and focus on the words on the screen.

Lip: hey are you home  
Lip: mandy  
Lip: need to talk  
Lip: are you there????  
Lip: baby????!!

“Shit,” Mandy mumbled, before calling Lip, his number being at the top of her Favorites list, so even in a drunken stupor, she knew how to get to him.

“Baby, where are you?” Were the first words that greeted her. “I-Ian’s and Mic-k’s,” she giggled, before cheering as someone did something cool, she didn’t know.

“Mandy.”

“What?” she exclaimed suddenly, lashing out at him. He remained calm, however. “I’m coming over. We have to talk.”

She rolled her eyes and groaned, before hanging up. She continued to drink, until she felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Whatthefuck do you want?” She cried, before registering who it was. Sitting atop dirty-blond curls, was a black knit beanie, and Mandy raked her eyes down his black overcoat and jeans, along with heavy boots.

“Shit, Lip!” she yelled, happily, as she dove in for a hug, smiling as she did. She began to realize things were serious when he did not reciprocate. Instead, he grabbed her hand and led her silently to the hall.

“Baby, let’s go back inside, they have body shots!” Mandy pleaded, and Lip just solemnly shook his head.

“I need you to listen to me for a moment. Can you please try to focus and sober up? This is important.

Mandy Milkovich, I love you so very much, and I know I have been the world’s worst boyfriend basically ever since we started dating, but I got a job offer. A really good job offer.”

Mandy nodded, patiently listening. “Take it, take the job!”

“The thing is,” Lip sighed, “The job offer is in Moscow. And I want you to come with me,” he said, before getting down on a knee.

“Oh my god, you /aren’t/—“ Mandy gasped, and Lip chuckled. “No, I’m not proposing to you. This, in my hand, is a promise ring. It’s my promise to you that I will not only stay faithful to you, but my love for you will grow day by day if you choose to come with me. I promise that you and I will, when the time is right, be married, and have a family together, because, Amanda Milkovich, I love you so fucking much.”

Mandy was speechless, to say the least. Tears that had fought to brim over her made-up eyes were now making rivers of black stream down her porcelain face. “Lip...”

He got to his feet and pulled her close, as she buried her head in his warm chest. He gently pulled her face out so they could look at each other, and he smiled softly. “Hey, hey, Mands, it’s all okay. Don’t cry, baby, shhh, don’t cry,” he soothed, as she hugged him as tight as she could. He wiped away her tears and kissed her gently, both of his hands cupping her face and she kissed back, passionately, as if to convey how much she loved him through a kiss.

They broke apart, and Lip looked at her expectantly. “So, what do you think?” He asked, anxiously awaiting her answer.

“I-I don’t know what to say,” she whispered, and he took her hands into his own. “Mandy, please. Please come with me to Russia. I know, it’s far, and I know you love this city, but I love you. I love you too goddamn much to lose what we have over a job offer.”

His pale blue eyes were pleading, and the look on his face made her heart break. “Lip, it’s...Moscow.”

“We’ll travel everywhere! Moscow would just be where we’d have to live, but we could go anywhere you want!” He exclaimed, and she bit her lip.

“I need a smoke,” she mumbled, grabbing her pack and lighter, walking out to the fire escape as Lip grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

“Please don’t leave me,” he whispered, and her stony eyes softened.   
“I’ll be right back,” she replied, pecking his lips softly before walking away to get a fix of nicotine.

———

The next morning: Christmas. Mandy and Lip lay in a spooning position, since the bed offered in Mandy’s dorm was hardly big enough for one person. But, they made it work. They hardly wanted to sleep alone as it was.

Mandy was the one to wake up first, as she felt Lip’s hot breath against her skin. His rough hands gripping her waist made her feel protected, safe. But, she needed to think. So, she wiggled out of his unconscious grasp and put his flannel shirt on, then some sweatpants, because her dorm lacked an essential part of a living space: a heating system.

But she would survive. She shuffled over to the small window that luckily was facing towards the city, and looked upon the snow-capped concrete jungle, in awe of how the snow had blanketed the streets, walkways, trees and buildings in a majestic, dreamy coat of white. She smiled softly at how peaceful the snow could be, before piercing car horns threw her from her thoughts.

/Should I go with Lip? Moscow is worlds away. Would it be worth all that trouble? Will the job help support a couple? Will I be able to get a job? Will I be able to finish school? Do I love him enough to do this?/

As her mind filled with doubts, she heard Lip’s low voice call out to her. “Mands, come back to bed. It’s cold as fuck in here.”

She turned and motioned outside. “Look at how beautiful the snow is. Everything looks so...peaceful,” she murmured, and Lip sighed before standing up and walking over to her, hugging her from behind and kissing her neck softly. “Merry Christmas, beautiful,” he whispered against her skin, and she put her hands atop his, but turning away from his kiss.

“I don’t know if I can do it, Lip,” she muttered, and he released her from his arms.

“Mandy...” he started, before she turned and looked at him. Her expression looked young, vulnerable...lost. She was scared of the inevitable change. The merciless hole that was the oblivion that came with being by his side in this. No more Mickey, no more Ian. No more Alibi Bar, no more New York. She was only twenty-two—she was too young to commit! What the hell was she thinking?

“It’s too much, Lip. Too much, too fast, too fucking far away…I’m sorry. I’m so, so sor-“

Her apology was cut off by Lip’s mouth softly covering hers in a gentle kiss. As he pulled away, he smiled. “Merry Christmas, love. Want some coffee?” She nodded quickly and followed him. All talk of Russia was behind them as they went to go attend to some sugary-sweet moments on a snowy Christmas morning.


End file.
